Sue Simmons MH, MFH
Links:
Holcombe Puppy Show
The Importance of Hound Shows
Sue Simmons
Susan Simmons is married to John who is managing director of the family business Simmal Ltd. John's sports are shooting and fishing, particularly on the Spey, Tweed and Esk.
Educated at Manchester University (BSc Hons in Computational Linguistics & Modern Languages), Sue qualified as a chartered accountant in London, and is now finance director of the family business based at Preston.
Sue has hunted 18 years with Holcombe (between work & kids); and took over sole mastership on May 1 2009 when Arnold Greenhalgh retired.
Sue has competed at both the Royal International and Horse of the Year Show Working Hunter Finals. Placed 4th at RIHS 2008 HW Worker Championship.
Sue is a very keen skier, and says her life is: "Always very busy!"
As the heady and increasingly warm and hazy days of Summer whizz by, I imagine all of you who put your horses out to summer pasture after a thrilling season of hunting fever will be sat back sipping the G&T or Pimms whilst watching the World Cup, or Wimbledon, and imagining that us masters and hunt staff are now on our holidays. Yes, it is a nice idea, but I can confirm that the Summer is just as busy as the “season”.
Since putting away the scarlet coat in moth balls, the full attention of summer turns to the state of repair of kennels and the prospects of the hounds in the all important shows, be it our own Puppy Show, or the grandeur of the Peterborough Festival of Hunting. I am asked why these are important and perhaps the answer for me in a nutshell is so simple it will disappoint…the answer for me personally is: “because they are competitions!”
I love competitions, both equestrian and hounds. I tingle at the thought of putting your best in front of the judge and waiting to see the outcome. I love the rivalry, the banter, and the after-show analysis of what went right, or wrong - preferably right for us, and wrong for someone else - all in the best of spirits of course. Those of you who haven’t tried getting fully immersed in the competitive spirit of hound shows are quite frankly missing out. Even amongst my ladies at Holcombe I think there is a competition arising to see who can wear the smartest outfit, or make the best Pimms cup, and yet more importantly: “Who puppy-walked the prizewinning hound in show?” Oh yes, that is the ‘accolade’.
Whilst I am a new master and have not been immersed in the world of hunting all my life (just half my life…and that half from an equestrian standpoint), I hope you can appreciate my viewpoint. If there were nothing to be good at ‘in summer’, I would find it all a trifle dull. Of course we have country to organize and all our lovely farmers to see, but the thrill of the competition for me is where it’s at, and in a “chicken and the egg” kind-of-a-way exactly where it all starts. The hounds!
So, the next issue in being good enough to win at hound shows is where we really get down to the nitty gritty. Breeding quality hounds for the Studbook and future of hunting is a prime responsibility of a master as custodian of the pack: it’s past, present and future. Coupled to that massive undertaking is the knowledge of bloodlines, progeny, their performance and characteristics, the balance (or debate) of show hound versus working hound, and then their management and all aspects of hound husbandry entailed to bring all efforts to fruition. It sounds a lot to bite off and chew - and it is!
Thankfully, we are surrounded by examples of masters e.g. Michael Bannister, and Alun Thomas, to name just two who have been vastly successful and set the bar high enough to make us all want to work hard to honour our packs and maintain the future of quality hound breeding. I always find high achievers in life a great source of inspiration. They have so much support and advice to give in equal measure.
I’m sure these winners find great satisfaction in passing on what they know to the new kids on the block like me. And indeed they should. Where knowledge is not passed on there is no succession plan for hounds and hunting, and with each successive generation of masters the finery, the detail and the expertise can be lost amidst the fast pace of 21st century life.
From speaking to experts in hound management and breeding, on my steep learning curve I have found that many of the same principles apply as to horses. Hounds should be bred from the best parents you can select. They need the right exercise and feeding routines to ensure they reach tip top condition for show-time. Staff need to practice their ring craft and hounds need to have sufficient opportunities to get over any stage fright. Hounds like humans can be tentative of performing in front of crowds and there can be such disappointment when a hound you really fancy to win becomes a statue in the ring and won’t show for the judge.
So when a plan comes together and you finally get your hounds to the shows it really is a sense of achievement and excitement for myself and my huntsman Steven. Our working relationship is the better for it because we have had to iron out issues and agree on the way forward ‘together’. The hunt moves on in summer for those of us involved with our hounds in just the same way as in winter, only on a different stage.
So get your picnics packed, your panamas at the ready, and join your hunt at the show grounds of Great Yorkshire, Peterborough, Holker, Honiton, Rydal. You will get more value from your hunt and you will definitely enjoy seeing your hounds strutting their stuff and hopefully coming home with hard earned prizes!
Let’s see how we get on this year?
Sue Simmons
MH. MFH Holcombe Hunt